Effects of a crude extract of a marine dinoflagellate, containing dimethyl-beta-propiothetin, on HCl.ethanol-induced gastric lesions and gastric secretion in rats.

A crude extract of Crypthecodinium cohnii and its main component, dimethyl-beta-propiothetin, significantly and dose-dependently protected the gastric mucosa against HCl.ethanol-induced lesions in rats. Since indomethacin pretreatment reduced the protective effect to some extent, endogenous prostaglandins might be partly involved in the mechanism of action. Both the crude extract and dimethyl-beta-propiothetin significantly increased gastric secretion.